


You're Driving Me Wild

by AlxSteele



Series: Through The Looking Glass [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec and Magnus are probably falling in love, Alternate Universe, Awkward(kinda)!Magnus, Developing Relationship, Episode 1x10 This World Inverted, Fluff, M/M, Malec Fluff, Post - This World Inverted, Smooth!Alec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 12:07:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6328519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlxSteele/pseuds/AlxSteele
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the alternate universe of episode 10: This World Inverted. Alec and Magnus go on their second date. Is it love? Will they kiss? Where’s Church hiding?</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Driving Me Wild

**Author's Note:**

> Alt!Malec’s second date! I may have gotten a little cliche and mushy with this one it just happened!
> 
> Title from WILD by Troye Sivan

Getting ready earlier in the night, Magnus had decided that he wouldn’t be nervous. He wouldn’t over think things. For possibly the first time in his hundreds of years, he was just going to feel, and follow those feelings. Right then, that meant spending more time with Alec Lightwood. It didn’t have to mean anything yet; he didn’t have to think about every little thing. It would just clog up his mind, and make him doubt everything.

It’d been a long time since Magnus followed anything but his head. He wasn’t sure he knew how to follow his heart anymore, or understood anything it was saying.

When Alec knocked on the door, his smile was a little slower than the last time. Like after all Magnus’ games and avoiding Alec, he wasn’t sure he should just throw himself out there again. Magnus found himself smiling, thinking; it’s fine, throw yourself again, I won’t let you fall.

Alec was dressed simply in a white v-neck and tight jeans. Magnus had opted for a long, dark button up and equally dark pants.

“Hey,” Alec said, looking him up and down slowly before smiling his crooked smile.

“Hey.”

***

“Bowling?” Magnus asked with a frown, shutting the loft’s door behind him.

Alec looked over, letting out a low laugh. “Don’t be like that! I know what you’re thinking, but it’ll be fun. Trust me.”

That small secretive smile that Magnus recognized, having seen it when their gazes first met back at the institute, made something in Magnus feel jittery, in a good way. A way that Magnus was sure he’d never felt before.

They took the subway, talking idly the whole time. Sharing looks. Magnus looked away every time Alec caught him staring, but Alec didn’t do the same. When Magnus would look over and find the other man’s gaze trained on him he’d just keep looking. Not embarrassed in the least, while Magnus could feel himself getting warmer and would instantly glance away again.

By the time they got to the small bowling alley, Magnus felt like they’d been at this little game for days. Not that that was a bad thing.

At the bowling alley, they rented ugly shoes and picked out bowling balls; Alec opting for a shiny pink one and Magnus going for a plain black.

Alec tried to let Magnus go first but, honestly, Magnus, in all his hundreds of years, had never been bowling before. “No, I insist, you go first.” Magnus said, for some reason, with Alec staring down at him from his taller vantage point, on the verge of laughter.

Alec sighed, rubbing his hand over his perfect hair and messing it up. He glanced over his shoulder at the lane that was lit up in bright lines. The bowling alley was on the top floor of some hotel and the only people besides them there was a couple on the far end and the grumpy man behind the counter. The lights were dim in most the room, the lines lit dramatically in neon.

Alec looked back at Magnus with a slightly sheepish look on his face. “Okay, but I feel I should warn you. I’m really not that good at bowling.”

Magnus felt himself smiling, a thrill going through him when Alec smiled back.

“You can’t be that bad, can you?” he asked finally, laughing when Alec nodded solemnly.

Alec moved to the end of the lane, when Magnus called out. “Wait, wait! Let me get comfortable, I don’t want to trip when I start laughing at you.” Magnus wasn’t sure where the words were coming from, but was rewarded with a short, barking laugh from Alec. “Okay, continue.”

Alec straightened up, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He took a step back then forward, swinging his arm and letting go of the bowling ball. It wasn’t as funny as Magnus was expecting when the ball immediately headed for the gutters. But looking up, Alec started laughing at himself and that…that was contagious.

It turned out Magnus wasn’t bad at bowling, then again it was hard to be bad when compared to Alec who’d thrown nothing but gutter balls the whole night. They were halfway through the game, having spent more time laughing and talking than actually playing, when Magnus did something he normally never would’ve done. But…he was curious. He’d gotten used to the suave, smooth look Alec donned when he threw a gutter ball. Now he wanted to see what would happen if Alec actually hit the pins.

When Alec stepped forward to bowl, with exaggerated moves that brought a smile to Magnus’ face, Magnus reached for his magic. As Alec let go of the ball and turned back towards Magnus, already expecting it to be in the gutter, Magnus unconsciously used his magic — just a little bit — and a few seconds later all the bowling pins fell.

Alec whipped around, looking incredulous. When he turned back to Magnus, Magnus forgot about the game and using magic to cheat, it was worth it. Alec’s usually schooled expression, the one’s he put together so carefully even when smiling, was completely gone. Shattered.

In its place, Alec’s face was lit with the widest, unguarded smile. All the carefully controlled grins wiped away in a moment of pure excitement. Magnus hadn’t even realized before then, how much Alec controlled his facial expressions, only letting people see what he wanted them too.

So that was what following his heart meant…

***

Magnus swallowed back his laughter with a drink of soda. He’d won their first game, letting Alec get slightly fewer gutter balls by way of magic. They’d stopped to get fries and something to drink.

Alec kept looking at him, watching intensely when it was Magnus’ turn to bowl or looking over quickly when Magnus laughed, like he didn’t want to miss it. When Magnus set the cup down, Alec picked it up, quickly taking a drink for himself, eyes locked on Magnus’ again in a way that made him feel embarrassed. He refused to look away again.

The whole night was just a game of lingering glances. Of catching each other staring and seeing who would look away first. Alec almost always won, but Magnus was okay losing, just like Alec was fine being beat at bowling over and over again.

***

Alec felt himself losing control when it came to Magnus. He’d always been one to hold himself back slightly with other people. The only ones he let in fully being Izzy and Jace, and, when he felt like it, Clary and Simon. Besides that…everyone else got surface Alec. Calm, perfect, flirting Alec. When he was with Magnus, that Alec slipped away, leaving the more real one in its place. Taking away his perfect control and digging in deeper.

Alec was okay with that. It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be, going from being chased to doing the chasing. Alec wasn’t exactly new to the dating thing, but the: they could possibly end a series relationship thing… That was a whole new story. One Alec was currently not thinking about. Too busy following the giddy feeling in his stomach.

Back at Magnus’ loft, Magnus opened the door, letting Alec in. They’d played three games and stopped for a drink on the way back. It was the middle of the night and they were starving. Neither one quite ready to end the night yet, knowing that’s when things between them got complicated.

“Make yourself at home,” Magnus said, tossing his jacket on a chair just inside the door. There was a series of two steps down to the main room of the loft, where Magnus had his giant dining table, a couch and coffee table, and a small TV. In the corner there was a desk and another table spread with an odd assortment of bottles. To the side of the front door there was the kitchen. “I’ll order the food.”

“Hey!” Alec shouted as his eyes caught on a black and white blur. He tracked it as it jumped from the floor to the windowsill on the other side of the room. The cat paused for a second, looking straight at Alec before leaping out the window.

Magnus glanced over, following Alec’s gaze. “Was that the Chairman?” he asked, unconcerned.

Alec shook his head, amused. So at least one of the cats was real then.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing against you. Chairman Meow is a scaredy cat,” Magnus called, walking into the kitchen.

Alec walked around the room for a minute, exploring. He was only a little surprised to see that he didn’t know what over half the things Magnus’ owned were. When Magnus got back, Alec was perched on the edge of the dining table, staring curiously around the room. His eyes narrowed in on Magnus, who looked a little nervous all of a sudden.

Grinning, Alec reached out, catching Magnus’ hand as he walked past, forcing him to stop in front of Alec.

“So, are you ever going to tell me what exactly you do?” he asked, trapping Magnus’ hand between both of his and staring up at him from underneath his lashes.

Magnus’s breath sputtered for a minute and Alec bit back a smile. “What do you want to know?” Magnus finally asked.

Alec shrugged, realizing he didn’t really want to talk that badly. “You were going to open a storefront?” he finally said.

Soft music played in the background, Alec having found the stereo while Magnus was ordering food. Magnus shifted, slightly uncomfortable as Alec continued to hold his hand, letting his fingers run over Magnus’ palm.

“Er. Yes. I’m starting small though. I’m…expanding to start selling healing salves and whatnot. You know…all natural…things.” Alec smiled as Magnus tripped over his words, not knowing that Magnus was being careful not to sound too weird as his healing salves and whatnot were more like magic and magic potions.

Alec looked up at him, moving his whole head this time instead of just his eyes. He grinned slowly, letting it spread inch by inch across his face. Watching Magnus looking down at him. “We should dance.”

Alec smirked as Magnus’ eyes widened. Standing suddenly, Alec pulled Magnus along behind him before he could protest.

“I don’t dance,” Magnus finally managed to say, as Alec turned the stereo up on a soft instrumental song.

Alec looked back at him, pouting slightly. “But you never danced with me at my party.”

Magnus looked away, replying quickly. “Yes. Well, I’ll dance at the next party.”

Alec grinned, thinking about how to hold Magnus to that. “And now. Come on, it’s easy.”

Before Magnus could protest again, Alec yanked on the hand he was still holding, lightly pulling Magnus closer to him. Looking straight into Magnus eye’s Alec refused to recognize how his own breath hitched that time. Slowly, Alec rested his other hand on Magnus’ waist, waiting for Magnus to move, wrap his hands around Alec’s neck.

They were breathing the same air and it was Alec who lost the staring contest, looking away from Magnus’ eyes that were so close to his own. They started lightly swaying, back and forth.

Their breath was loud in the quiet room, the only other sound in the world the low music. Alec could feel his heart hammering against his chest in a way it never had before, not with any of the other men he’d danced with. He pretended he could hear, feel, Magnus’s doing the same.

Alec didn’t meet his eyes again until the song ended. They stood still, pressed together. Alec lifted his head, staring down at Magnus who slowly looked up to meet his gaze. Licking his lips, Alec wanted nothing more than to kiss Magnus, but he was also suddenly afraid of pushing things. What if Magnus stopped calling him back again?

Magnus stared up at him, shifted half a step closer than they already were. “Alexander?”

Alec stopped breathing for a second. He didn’t have to make up his mind anymore, he was going to do it. He was going to kiss Magnus Bane. Alec looked down with hooded eyes, lowering his head. Magnus felt his eyes closing slowly. Their lips just brushed, barely touching…when there was a knock on the door.

Alec leaned back slowly, lips burning from the barely there contact, the ghost of Magnus’ lips touching his. Damnit, he thought, staring down at Magnus who wasn’t meeting his gaze now.

“I’ll ah, get that.”

Alec smoothly walked away, hiding the fact that he wanted to kill whoever was at the door. Whoever had just ripped their first kiss away from them. He felt Magnus’ gaze on his back, could only think about answering the door as quickly as possible and getting back to the moment they were just in.

Opening the door, Alec found the pizza guy. With a glare, Alec paid the man, slamming the door on his “have a good night”.

Striding back to Magnus, who was still standing where they’d been dancing, right behind the table, Alec set the pizza down. He didn’t hesitate in stepping into Magnus’ personal space. He wanted to kiss him, needed to but… Magnus stared at him, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Alec glanced down, staring at Magnus’ hands hanging at his side. Instead of leaning down and kissing him, he grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers and pulling him to the table.

“Hungry?” he asked with a shit eating grin as Magnus just stared at him, shocked.

Nope, Alec thought. It’s not going to be _that_ easy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all the comments you lovely, lovely biscuits. Each one makes me just want to write more and more. It's been really fun writing all this! I won’t promise to post every day but I’m working to post as fast as possible. I’m also dying over all the prompts so keep them coming. I’ve been asked a few times about Alec finding out about Magnus being a warlock and various things concerning that and all I’ll say is…it will happen…at some point.
> 
> Now I have to go watch episode 11 and I'm worried for my feels... But then I'm going to write alt!Malec's first kiss so that's something we can hopefully all look forward to.
> 
> Give me more prompts for alt!Malec. Also, if you’re inclined I’ve written a few other au’s that don’t fit in this series. =)


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